PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK: Team biding its time at the bye

Wednesday

The Patriots take a break, given time off from Gillette Stadium until Monday. They won't return to game action until Nov. 25 against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

FOXBORO – Seven wins, three losses and now, for many of them, family ties.

“Just relax at home (with) my wife (Diana), my dogs pretty much,” Patriots running back James White answered when asked his plans as he and his teammates headed out the door at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming bye weekend.

“Spend time with the family (wife Shahrzad, son Jeremiah and daughter Hannah),” special teamer Matthew Slater said, seconding the motion. “That will be my priority is being a husband and a father. I’m sure I’ll be in here more than my wife will want me to be in here, but I’ll be here a little bit.”

For the most part, though, the Patriots will be biding their time.

“It’s a long season,” defensive lineman Trey Flowers said, “so (it’s) very taxing, not only physically but also mentally. So just getting away from it, spending some time with your family, things like that I think will be very beneficial.”

With the conclusion of their workday on Wednesday, the team’s players could officially enjoy their bye, excused from Gillette until they return on Monday, their next game not until Nov. 25 when they’ll play the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The father of two (daughter Londyn and son Brayden) and husband to Michelle, count Patriots safety Devin McCourty among those who were looking forward to spending time with the family over the long weekend. He figures he’ll also be playing the part of uncle, spending some of that time with his twin brother and teammate Jason, the Patriots cornerback who is the father of three (daughters Liana and Kai and son Kaiden) and husband to Melissa.

“I’m sure we’ll have the kids together throughout this bye week,” said McCourty. “But I’m sure by the end of that, it’ll be good to see some of my friends’ faces back here Monday because I’ll be tired of seeing his.”

With 10 weeks down and six more games to go in the regular season, while many will stay at home others will travel, but a time for rest and relaxation and a time to get the mind off football for one and all.

“You can’t just come back out of shape and sit down for however many days we get off,” said Flowers, “but I think you’ve got to be able to relax and get your mind away, not only physically but mentally get away from it a little bit and then just come back. You may do a little bit of conditioning and things like that, just want to stay in shape for the second half of the season, get a workout in or so. (But) I think it’s important to get a little wear and tear off your body.”

Once back, the season-ending grind kicks in, six games ’til the regular-season finale and then, they hope, the postseason.

“Once we come back here Monday,” said McCourty, “it’s kind of foot on the gas until whenever it’s over for us. I think once you come back, the mindset is then we kind of decide that – when it’s over. So you want to be able to get away a little bit because coming back and having everything kind of on you and what you do, you want to be rested and ready to go.”

Now in the midst of his 19th regular-season bye, Tom Brady says through experience he has developed a well-crafted game plan, although he refused to reveal just what it is.

“I think it’s just gotten more and more efficient,” the quarterback said. “I think like anyone who’s been in their job for a long time you kind of know what to do and you know what works and you know what doesn’t work and that’s the benefit of experience, so you don’t have to waste too much time doing things that you know won’t pay off. So it could be physical things, it could be mental things, it could be personal relationship things that you’ve got to work at. But all those things are important.”

Open spot filled: The Patriots filled the open spot on their 53-man roster by signing linebacker-special teams player Ramon Humber, who was here (sort of) once before.

Humber, now 31, signed with the Patriots on March 9, 2016, but he never made it to the regular season with the team, being released on Aug. 30.

The 5-foot-11, 232-pounder has appeared in 130 games with Indianapolis, New Orleans and Buffalo, starting 28, over 10 NFL seasons, registering 234 tackles, 4-1/2 sacks, breaking up five passes and forcing two fumbles on defense and making 77 stops on special teams. He was most recently with the Bills, appearing in nine games this season prior to his release on Nov. 10.

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